Illuminate Your Life

New Year Resolutions...Why Now Is the Time to Set Intentions

I know it is not December 31, 2016 or January 1, 2017 and nope, I am not behind on writing my blog for the new year.

Though it never hurts to check in with any resolutions you might have set on the actual start of 2017, the reason I waited until now to write about resolutions is because it is actually the start of the new Human Design year. To be exact the actual date is Sunday, January 22, 2017.

Have any of you noticed that your motivation has fizzled out a little too soon? That could be because we were still in the closing energy of the Human Design cycle. It typically brings about the energy to rest and reflect (not to mention Mercury was in retrograde, which enhances that inner reflection energy). This could mean you would much rather curl up on the couch with a good book and a hot cocoa than get out and walk three miles a day or go to that spin class you signed up for a few weeks back.

Don't fret! The energy is going to shift starting this weekend and bring some welcomed momentum. Now is the perfect time to get a jump on a new work out regimen, cleaning up your diet and starting new projects or setting new goals.

Here's a suggestion for your vision for the new year: Try using the word "intention" versus words like resolution or goal. Setting an intention gives you a little more room to practice getting consistent at something rather than getting specific results. In most cases, you need practice and flexibility to figure out what is going to work for you.

Setting an intention can give you the space to try things out without falling into the the failure mindset of resolutions that only get you discouraged and most times stop you in your tracks. An intention also allows for many ways to get to the end result. Intention is very similar to a goal, but the difference is you don't plan how you are going to get there. You "intend" a clear outcome and then go with the flow, often learning and growing during the process. And sometimes even surprise yourself when you reach or surpass a goal.

I invite you to use the remaining time this weekend to reflect on 2016 in order to gain clarity on what you want in your life. Make a list of all the wins - big and small. Write down all things you have accomplished and notice how far you’ve come.



Here are some questions that might spur your reflection and intention setting:



1. What ways did you intentionally push yourself outside of your comfort zone?


2. What ways did life push you outside of your comfort zone?


3. What people did you meet or deepen your acquaintance with last year that stand out as significant/meaningful?


4. What books did you read or experiences did you have last year that helped you become a better version of yourself?


5. What new places did you visit last year that you’ve never been to before?


6. In what ways were you able to contribute something meaningful to others?


7. What were some of your favorite moments the year?


8. In what ways were you supported by others?


9. In what ways were you really blessed?


10. What are some important lessons you have learned/re-learned from last year?



Remember to celebrate the triumphs, forgive the missteps, and be proud of yourself!

Weekly Energy Report for Sept. 21 - 27, 2016

We've had a lot of celestial influences going on these past few weeks. There's been a few eclipses and even a super harvest moon. And we cannot forget Mercury in Retrograde! Not only does Mercury interfere with our communication and technology, but it also acts as a catalyst for change - drawing us inward to review and reflect on life in order to determine what works and is worth fighting for and what isn't working and needs to be released or healed so we can move forward in this promising new season.

Good news! Mercury goes direct and Fall is here bringing new possibilities and many opportunities to get clear about your direction. This is also a good time to get back outside and enjoy your physical bodies! The mornings are cooler and crisper. The evenings are not so humid. It's a great time to take a hike and enjoy the leaves changing colors. Or enjoy that peaceful walk instead of going to a gym and staring at the back of someone's head on a treadmill. It's prime time to do anything that can get you back into your body and take care of it too! After all, the body is the vehicle for the soul.

Now is a prime time for luck and serendipity. But the caveat of luck is being in the right place at the right time. BUT that's only half the battle. It's one thing to just show up, it's another to have the right mindset. If you are always in a constant place of controlling the outcomes, you are not letting go of expectation and opening up to all the experiences that are available. A positive and attitude and faith are key to receiving those opportunities. True serendipity happens when you are available and trusting.

In this place of trusting expectation, there's potential for you to be open energetically at this time. This place of trusting can sometimes leave your loving nature vulnerable to being taken advantage of by others. With all the world news about violence and destruction, it's very easy to wonder why people do the things they do and become confused and frustrated because you cannot do anything to change what happens on a global level. But there's also a deep trust that the Universe will look after you and love will conquer all. It's a good time to turn that news off and take advantage of the new season but remember you also need time for recuperation.

Information and inspiration will be coming in large downloads. There's the potential for you to be filled with so many ideas that you can't even possibly create them all! The frustration is the desire to implement ideas, not to mention the question of HOW you are going to implement them. It is key to understand that inspiration has its own timing in making things happen. The key is to make peace with not knowing how things are going to happen and realize that all of your ideas are not necessarily for you. You don't have to manifest them all - or any of them - if the idea is correct for you, it will show up in your life and the HOW will just happen in the form of an epiphany. So I encourage you to pay attention to the ideas and inspirations that come during this time, write EVERYTHING down, and know that when you wait, the manifestation that comes out of the waiting will surprise you!

It is good to consider that communication is ruled by the planet Mercury and Mercury is in retrograde but going direct on September 22, 2016. That brings a moment of stillness and anything that needs to be heard will be made more clear. Pay special attention to what comes up in your interactions with others or even in moments of stillness, meditation or prayer. It's good to note, we will still be in the shadow of the retrograde energy until October 6, 2016. I invite you to be conscious of how you communicate and interact during this time. Accept personal responsibility and act in an empowered way versus blaming others and becoming the victim. This will save you a lot of conflict, misunderstanding and potential hurt.

We have a tendency to be doubtful and suspicious of everything at this time as well. This even includes our own insights and abilities. We forget that doubt is just a thought form and not necessarily true because it is just that, a form that has not been tested or experimented with just yet. It's in your head. The key is to show good judgement and trust in yourself, your insights and knowingness and trust in something higher than you.

There is the need for peace and harmony. Be sure to communicate with respect and be clear in your meaning. If you do not speak clearly, you run the risk of misunderstandings, which can hinder your progress towards harmony. Be mindful of your values and those of your family and friends. Transmit those values to your "tribe" through love with the intention of keeping the tribe together. Be mindful that sometimes that might mean putting their needs above your own. Just make sure you have clear boundaries, so you don't feel taken advantaged.

The underlying energy that will have the energy to be focused, but not necessarily focused for long periods of time. This can bring the capacity for obsessive behavior and thinking. The key is to concentrate on intentions, even if you are busy doing other things. You can be focused but also constantly moving. Pay special attention when your distracted and avoiding your tasks or feeling pressure to complete tasks. Tune in and be sure this is a deliberate action. With clarity, you can make room for something new to manifest in your life when you finish the correct tasks.

There is also the energy of struggling to know what is worth fighting for. This is a provocative energy designed to get our attention - to push us to find something that has value and meaning in our life. There is a tendency to become argumentative, antagonistic and controversial. When you find something to champion, remember that not everyone will feel the same way about your cause. The key is to be aware of this off-putting energy and be mindful of others and their beliefs. There is an honor in knowing what is worth fighting for and sharing in a manner that will champion your cause versus hinder it.

If you face something that seems insurmountable, remember that struggles are here to shine the light on what is important in life. It may not seem fair. You can either be defeated by it OR you can accept it as a challenge. I encourage you to push the envelope because in the end, surmounting struggle has tremendous payoff - you have the potential to discover what's valuable in your life!

Want To Know How To Navigate Through This World?

Open Your Heart Loving with an open heart, without erecting walls or closing off. Being open, even with the possibility of being vulnerable or getting your heart broken, allows for true intimacy.

Give   Giving generously to others not only feels good, but it opens you up to many possibilities. Remember not to give at the expense of nourishing your own soul. If it feels like a burden, it typically is and that feeling should be acknowledged. There's nothing wrong with saying no. That's a hidden gift in itself for you and for those asking for your time, money or assistance.

Trust Expansively Armed with the knowledge that you are not alone, that you are unconditionally loved by the universe and that your heart is resilient opens yourself up to a broader range of experiences.

Be Thankful Appreciating what you have and giving thanks every day for the blessings in your life is one of the best ways to remain open to receiving life's wonderful blessings.

Refrain From Judgment In this day and age, it's easy to fall victim to judging yourself and others. By choosing compassion and kindness over righteousness leaves you open in your heart and mind, which in turns leaves you open to all of what life has to offer.

Yesterday I mentioned taking this last weekend while Mercury in Retrograde to reflect and set intentions for the new year (Haven't read it? http://bit.ly/1NqhA52). Adding to this energy for getting clear about what you want in your life this year is the full moon tonight! (January 23, 2016)

The thing about full moons is the fact that they can bring the energy to shed light on things. This full moon brings opportunities for clarity and insights enabling you to shine more brightly in the world.

Is there something you would like to do that could contribute to making a difference in your life, your community, your country or even the world?

What would that be?

What would have to change in your life? During this full moon, open your heart to what is coming that you may not have previously been able to even imagine. Then pay attention to the events and circumstances that are unfolding around you today and after the full moon tonight, because what is coming up in your life at this time will help you see things in a new light. With the energies of reflection, the increase in energy for momentum and the clarity coming in with the full moon, you can open yourself up to new perspectives and invite something bigger into your life.

I invite you to pay attention to what the world is revealing to you about how to be in alignment with your true self and to see that your life is full of possibilities.

If you have not read my recent post about Mercury in Retrograde, please read it here: http://bit.ly/1S6fkrj.

Those that have or are familiar with Mercury in Retrograde, you know that it is transiting out on Monday, January 25th. If you have been feeling stuck lately, it is due to Mercury in Retrograde. The energy is going to shift starting this weekend and bring some welcomed momentum.

When Mercury is in Retrograde it is not a good time to start new things. In this case, it is very important to keep that in mind when it comes to your New Year's resolutions. But come Monday, it will be a perfect time to get a jump on a new work out regimen, cleaning up your diet and starting new projects or goals.

I invite you to use the remaining time this weekend to reflect on 2015 in order to gain clarity on what you want in your life. It's actually a great time to create your vision for the year because the energy for dreaming, visioning and fantasizing about what is possible is about to come into play.

And I'll end with offering a tip for your vision for the year: Try using the word "intention" versus words like resolution or goal. Setting an intention gives you a little more room to practice getting consistent at something rather than getting specific results. In most cases, you need practice and a little leeway to figure out what is going to work for you.

Setting an intention can give you the space to try things out without falling into the the failure mindset of resolutions that only get you discouraged and most times stop you in your tracks. An intention also allows for many ways to get to the end result. Intention is very similar to a goal, but the difference is you don't plan how you are going to get there. You "intend" a clear outcome and then go with the flow, often learning and growing during the process. And sometimes even surprise yourself when you reach and surpass a goal.

It's almost the end of the year. How did 2015 go? Did it go as planned or did you have a few challenges?

I can't speak for you, but I can share a little about my year to let you know you are not alone if you did find yourself in the middle of some struggles.

The year started off great. I had many blessings to be grateful for and it was feeling like it was going to be an exciting and brand new year full of possibilities.

Then the snow hit. Not just a normal 2-4" snow that middle Tennessee gets around January/February. We got hit with a round of rain, sleet and then freezing rain with snow to top it off. Eleven inches of heavy, wet snow - the kind that should be good for building snowmen, but instead it was the metal roof breaching kind. The kind of snow weight that breaks seals and leaves a warehouse roof (and I heard regular roofs) vulnerable. Then it warms up to 50 degrees and it rains buckets of water. Not just in the streets but also in our warehouses.

If it weren't for the amount of water coming in, we would have had no idea. It was raining so hard inside our warehouses that it set the motion detectors off. At the time, we had no idea what this would mean for our moving business, but we were soon to find out.

We were able to mitigate damage and secure a place to move our household goods. That side of the claim was a piece of cake and we got up and moving quickly.

But we are military movers and with that comes a lot of hoops and hurdles to jump through in order to get military approved to take in household goods. We were put in non-use for two months until that was satisfactory in the eyes of the SDDC. We lost a lot of business during that time and got very scared.

Then we had the roof claim side of things. No one supported us. We had claim managers that weren’t authorized to work on claims that were over $100K and the company that took over the claim management side, let’s just say they were almost non-existent.

We were left standing holding the bag for many months before we had to get ugly and start calling every phone number we could find on our insurance policy in order to get some assistance. Thankfully we got in contact with the president of our insurance brokerage company and with her assistance, nine months later, our roofs were finally replaced and we were moving back in and the claim was settled.

I'm sharing this with you because though we went through insurance hell and back to get things back together, we made it. Was it the easiest route? NO!!!! Was it worth it in the end? YES!!!

Had the insurance companies done what they were supposed to do and handle the claim on schedule, we would have gotten back in much faster and with less of a claim, BUT we wouldn't have come out as good as we did in the end. Not to mention we wouldn't have come out as wise as we have.

Life is always like this. You may not have a moving company or warehouses that have major damage from a freak act of nature, but you do have things happen in your life from time to time that make you stop and reassess your thoughts, values and even life.

These things happen in order to help bring things to the surface that you need to evaluate and get real about in order to grow and expand. Sometimes this evaluation time sucks and it's hard to comprehend why you are having to go through this struggle. You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out or how to make it go away.

Do you have to drive yourself crazy trying to control the situation you are in?

NO. As crazy as it sounds, sometimes you just have to give it up, SURRENDER, to something bigger than you and focus on what you can be grateful for even when you are in the storm of your life.

You can get through any challenge, but you can expand and grow if you can focus on what you want instead of what you don't want.

A positive attitude can make all the difference in the world when you are riding the storm out. The way you handle yourself directly affects the outcome...whether you slide into a beach safely or crash on the rocks!

I encourage you to share what your greatest challenge was in 2015. You can do it as a comment or you can answer in my online survey here: http://www.instant.ly/s/vDCKJ

Here's to a new start, new outlooks and a new year!

I have been taking notice that every year around this time people are either extremely happy and giving OR grumpy and on edge.

Not only do you have the daily routine, trying to function at the office or at home without any type of major malfunction. Then you have the holiday obligations, where most of the time you are trying to not step on anyone's toes or feelings.